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There can be no other modern society as dependent on aviation, in particular the helicopter
As airlines go, Greenlandair is unusual in that it is vital to the country's community. There can be no other modern society as dependent on aviation, in particular the helicopter. Outside the towns and settlements there are no roads. Although ships play a vital part in the transport network, stretching much of the 2,500 km from north to south - a distance equivalent to that between Copenhagen and the Canary Islands - their effectiveness is somewhat reduced by the frozen coastal seas which affect much of the country in winter. Greenlandair must be the only airline in the world whose main competition is the dog sledge! The airline currently transports some 200,000 passengers a year. Although that figure may not sound significant, it is equivalent to four times the population of Greenland, All this is operated by a fleet of just fifteen helicopters and seven fixed-wing aircraft, not one of which is a jet. The name of the country is one of the earliest examples of salesman's patter, intended to encourage immigration to a country where green is one of the rarer hues. Some 85% of Greenland is covered by the ice cap and marked on maps as "unexplored"! The cap has an area of 1.8 million km2, equivalent to almost seven times the size of the UK. For this reason, virtually all centres of population are in the coastal regions, mostly where the construction of airfields is impracticable, if not impossible. There are only eight airfields in the vast country, one of which is the US Thule Air Base in the far north-west. ROTARY FLEET The role of the helicopter in Greenland should not be underestimated. For many of the small settlements, it is a vital link with the 'outside world', particularly in the winter months, where the alternative means of transport are the skidoo and dog sledge. The rotary elements used to operate as two independent groups, with GLACE - Greenlandair Charter formed in 1972 using Bell JetRangers and 212s. These types have now been amalgamated with the rest of the company and the heavyweight of the rotary fleet, the S-61N has proved invaluable. Greenlandair has used them for 13 years and currently flies four of these 24 seater helicopters, one of which is on long term lease from Norway's Helikopter Service in whose colours it operates. The company did, at one time, have as many as eight S-61s. |
An S-61N at Uummannaq heliport in the shadow of the 1,170 m mountain which dominates the island. |
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The demand for the type is such that when Greenlandair disposed of those surplus to requirements it received considerably more than they originally cost. The S-61Ns are based at three of the four busiest airports, one each at Narsarsuaq and Kangerlussuaq, with two at Ilulissat serving the majestic Disko Bay area. Their primary task is to transport passengers and freight to and from the surrounding settlements to the airports where they connect with the Dash 7 flights. At Ilulissat, for instance, passenger loads tend to be fairly predictable. Dash 7 flights arrive from late morning to mid-afternoon, therefore early morning S-61N flights outbound to settlements tend to be lightly loaded. Conversely, inbound flights tend to have high load factors. These figures are reversed for late afternoon flights. I was recently invited by Greenlandair to sample one of these flights, known by the crews as 'the shuttle'. We departed Ilulissat at 0800 for the 20-minute flight to Qasigiannguit with only three passengers, and during the four minute rotors running turn-round one disembarked whilst two more joined for the 15-minute hop to Aasiaat. After 25 minutes we departed with a substantial load of passengers for Qasigiannguit and Ilulissat where we landed at 1005 with 23 passengers on board. The settlement of Qeqertarsuaq, the sole town on the large Disko Island, also has a heliport and receives scheduled services from Ilulissat. Greenlandair operates the S-61N in full IFR conditions and the type is fitted with a radar altimeter and GPS. It is operated by a crew of two pilots and a cabin attendant. Due to the short sectors, no refreshments are provided. The Ilulissat-based crews have the opportunity to operate the longest sector on the S-61 network, that to the island town of Upernavik and its 900 inhabitants, though surrounding settlements up to 200 km away bring the total population to 2,300. Total flight time to Upernavik is two hours and twenty minutes with a passenger and refuelling stopover en-route at the heliport at Uummannaq, in the shadow of the 1,170 m high mountain which dominates the island. This flight passes through some of the most majestic scenery imaginable - magnificent mountains, craggy cliffs, glaciers, fjords, icebergs and, if you are alert and lucky, whales cavorting in the deep blue waters. |
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View from an S-61 cockpit approacing Uummannaq |
Apart from a Bell 212 link from Thule to Qaanaaq, Upernavik is the northernmost destination in Greenlandair's scheduled network, though charter work requires the S-61Ns to venture further north on occasions. In such circumstances there are established sites where fuel is stored. To illustrate the importance of the helicopter to the communities, the two Ilulissat S-61Ns carry about 100 tons of freight per month and it is not uncommon for them to be flown at maximum all-up weight. TRANSIT AIRPORT Kangerlussuaq was until 1992 a USAF base, and is still used on occasion as a refuelling stop, as well as home to a Royal Danish Air Force Gulfstream 3 detached from Vaerlose primarily for coastal surveillance duties. This aircraft has also been used for urgent medical evacuation of patients to Copenhagen. Boeing 767s of SAS link the Danish capital with Kangerlussuaq, where a solitary S-61 is based to connect this transit airport with Maniitsoq and Sisimiut, the latter being Greenland's second largest town with a population of 5,000. The government is looking at plans to build some additional airfields, with Maniitsoq apparently a prime candidate. The name Maniitsoq in Greenlandic translates to The Uneven and adequately describes the hilly terrain surrounding the compact town. The final S-61N is based at Narsarsuaq International Airport from where it serves the southern communities of Narsaq, Qaqortoq and Nanortalik. Narsarsuaq receives international services in the shape of Icelandair Boeing 737-400s from Keflavik and, in the summer months, SAS MD-83s. Subject to weather conditions, the S-61Ns prefer to transit at around 1,500 - 2,500 ft but adverse weather conditions sometimes force them to fly at altitudes of up to 10,000 ft to clear the mountains. To cater for the increasing numbers of tourists, the S-61Ns are also used on sightseeing trips to the numerous ice caps and glaciers, often landing on a piece of flat ground adjacent to a glacier, giving the tourists a close view of nature. Obviously for a helicopter this size a fair number of passengers is required to make such trips cost-effective. This also means that many tourists miss out on such treats. Although there are often enough of them to fill a Bell 212 or JetRanger, these helicopters are invariably already committed to other tasks. Many of the crews live outside Greenland, predominantly in Denmark and Sweden. The shift pattern therefore suits them well, as they work six days a week for three weeks, then have three weeks off. During their period of work, the crews often fly up to 80 hours a month. Two of the company's S-61Ns were acquired in May 1965 and are now approaching 30,000 hours flying time û quite an achievement for such hardworking machines. Despite their age, the machines are not presenting any maintenance problems, even in winter and, due to the low humidity, do not suffer corrosion problems. Maintenance checks up to 400 hours are undertaken at base level with heavier maintenance done at the company's headquarters at Nuuk. If helicopters have to fly low over the water, where they are permitted to operate down to 300 ft, then they will be washed down at the end of the day to remove salt water spray. Despite the age of its S-61N fleet, Greenlandair has no plans to replace the robust and dependable machine. Even if it wanted to, the only types which can offer similar cabin space and capacity are the Boeing 234 Commercial Chinook and the EH-101, both of which have higher purchase and running costs. BUSY BELLS The S-61N is undoubtedly the work-horse of the fleet. However to many of the communities, the distinctive 'whack-whack' sound of a Huey rotor blade is music to the ears. During winter, especially north of the Arctic Circle, it is the reliable Bell 212 which keeps them supplied with essentials. Greenlandair currently operates seven of these helicopters, one of which is leased from Helikopter Service, from six locations around the country. They are used on both scheduled service and charter work, with the emphasis on the latter during summer. Flown by one pilot, they are restricted to day VFR operations only. In winter, north of the Arctic Circle, this can cut the operations significantly, and in some locations totally. At Ilulissat for example, there is no sunshine from the end of November to mid-January, restricting operations to some three to four hours of dusk, whilst further north at Upernavik there is no sunshine for four months. |
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A Greenlandair MD500 used for charter operations |
NORTHERN OUTPOST Scheduled services link Thule Air Base (Pituffik) with Qaanaaq the latter believed to be the most northerly scheduled destination in the world. At Ammassalik, which in 1994 changed back to its original name Tasiilaq, a single Bell 212 is based to serve the regional communities, including Kap Dan, Isortoq, Ikkateq, Kuummiut, Kulusuuk, Sermiligaag and Tiniteqilaaq. During summer, the helicopter makes the ten-minute flight to Kulusk airport where it links up with the twice-weekly Dash 7 from Kangerlussuaq to Keflavik, as well as the numerous Icelandair Fokker 50s which bring in tourists to the Angmassalik Hotel. During winter, it also connects with a twice-weekly Odin Air Jetstream which conveys fresh vegetables, fruit and other commodities from Reykjavik. Like many of the regionally located Bell 212s the helicopter is also called upon to transport medical emergency cases to the nearest suitable hospital. At Narsarsuaq, a Bell 212 is used to serve the settlements at Kangilinnguit and Paamiut. There are also two of the nine-seat helicopters based at Ilulissat, where, during winter, they ferry supplies to settlements in the Disko Bay area. Although Disko Island is 60 km offshore, in winter the sea is frozen out to and beyond the large island. During summer, the same helicopters are kept busy on charter work, usually to the large numbers of scientists, geologists and mining experts who are in the country at that time of the year and Greenlandair has to lease additional helicopters to cope with the demand - mostly JetRangers and MD500s, including British, German and Swedish registered machines. During these operations, the helicopter can be away from base for weeks at a time, with the pilot having to 'rough it' in a tent. Another regular client of these helicopters is the Greenland Telecom, as the helicopter is often the only means of transport to maintain and expand the communications network. Greenlandair also has three Bell 206 JetRangers based at Nuuk and Ilulissat available for general charter work but often they are used simply to augment the 212 fleet. To complete the rotary fleet, a single AS350 Ecureuil is based at Nuuk for general charter and is sometimes used for smaller tourist groups. VITAL LINK There can be few countries so reliant on the helicopter which has certainly played a dramatic part in community life. For instance, people in remote areas no longer die of hunger if the seals move away. However, the machine has also had a disruptive influence as alcohol is now freely available. Greenlandair's helicopter crews undoubtedly undertake some of the most demanding flying anywhere in the world, particularly during winter with its long hours of darkness and frequent chances of 'white-out'. However, they have the opportunity to fly amongst some of the most stunning scenery imaginable and perhaps be as close to nature as any aviator can be. |